About Exhibitions Day 2018

The fifth annual Exhibitions Day will take place June 5-6 in Washington, D.C. Once again, industry members will come together to foster relationships and build awareness with federal legislators and other policy influencers on Capitol Hill. Last year, more than 100 members of our industry gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate for exhibitions and events, which are a vital tool the success of our free enterprise economy. We ask you to once again join us as we meet face to face with our nation’s political leaders and give a voice to the exhibitions and events industry. Addressing the matters that impact our industry is crucial to allowing our industry to continue to do its part for our national economy. We want to incite change, and that change is only possible with you by our side.

Exhibitions Day 2017 In Review

2017 Issues Update

Earlier this summer, Congressional subcommittees in both the House and Senate have voted to keep Brand USA fully funded, and its proceeds would not be redirected to the Customs and Border Protection as recommended by President Trump.

Back in May, President Trump submitted his FY2018 budget proposal to Congress. The proposal called for the elimination of funding for Brand USA, a federally supported organization that promotes the country overseas as a business and tourist destination. Because of its importance in marketing the U.S. as a strong and safe destination for both business and leisure travel, Exhibitions Day 2017 attendees argued that Brand USA is, first and foremost, a bipartisan program funded by airline passenger fees and private industry with no impact on U.S. taxpayer money. The program’s efforts are crucial to attracting international tourism, investment and fair and free trade, and was responsible for adding $8.9 billion to the U.S. economy in 2016 according to Oxford Economics.

Clearing the House Appropriations Committee hurdle is a crucial step to ensuring Brand USA is fully funded for the next fiscal year.

Airport Infrastructure

In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously backed legislation that boosts funding for the Department of Transportation. Within this legislation is the lifting of the federal cap of the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) from $4.50 to $8.50, which is precisely the request we made on Exhibitions Day when we advocated for the Airport Infrastructure bill (HR 1265). You can read more about it on The Hill. http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/344164-senate-panel-approves-funding-boost-for-transportation-department

Exhibitions Day attendees argued that the Passenger Facility Charge was simply outdated, having not been changed since 2000 and has never accounted for today’s inflation rates or capacity needs. By changing the PFC cap from $4.50 to $8.50, airports will be able to generate billions of dollars in much-needed revenue to conduct infrastructure improvements.

The bill has now been placed on the Senate legislative calendar, which means there is still plenty of work remaining as the budget debate will continue on Capitol Hill.

Online Booking Scams

Upwards of 15 million fraudulent bookings are caused by these scams, resulting in more than $1.3 billion in lost revenue for hotels and money from consumers. As the rate of consumers booking travel accommodations online continues to surge, so will the rate of booking scams. EMB believes there needs to be stronger policy in place to protect consumers from these scams.

The House and Senate have introduced H.R. 2495 and S. 1164 – Stop Online Booking Scams Act, which would prohibit websites from pretending to be the hotel and allow state attorneys general to pursue restitution and refunds on behalf of the victims. Exhibitions Day attendees explained to Congressional leaders that as mobile booking continues to increase in popularity, it will be much more difficult for consumers to differentiate between the hotel’s website and a scam website, making it imperative that legislation such as HR. 2495 and S. 1164 be enacted to protect consumers.

In a recent ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered a travel agency to pay nearly $750,000 to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association after the agency was found guilty of attempting to pirate both room block and non-room block hotels via unsolicited emails to association members. This ruling is sure to influence pending legislation that seeks to protect event organizers from these online booking scams. EMB will continue promoting this U.S. District Court decision as a major win for the exhibitions and events industry in hopes of garnering support on Capitol Hill for Online Booking Scams legislation.

About Exhibitions Mean Business

Established in 2011, Exhibitions Mean Business (EMB) was created to unify and give a collective voice to the exhibitions and events industry and better advocate the benefits of face-to-face meetings to business growth and economic development. Driven by members of the industry, including professional associations, venue and convention center operators, exhibitions-focused service providers, convention and visitors bureaus and other travel and tourism organizations, EMB promotes the values of the industry through strategic advocacy campaigns, media relations efforts and stakeholder engagement initiatives.